Super Bowl XLVI
Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
DeMarco: Plug in a well-heeled ownership group and negotiate one of those mega-bucks TV deals that are going around, and the Dodgers could become the west coast version of the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox.
T.J. Oshie scored the only goal in the shootout and relief goal Brian Elliott was perfect as the St. Louis Blues beat New Jersey 4-3 on Thursday night to end the Devils five-game winning streak.
PBT: On paper this was a battle of seven seeds. But once the Celtics and Lakers locked horns on Thursday night, it felt like a matchup from grander times.
Beyond the Arc: Racers no long sport an unbeaten record, but they're still capable of making an NCAA tournament run.
CFT: To address safety concerns, the NCAA is proposing that kickoffs be moved from the 30 to 35-yard line and touchbacks moved out to the 25-yard line next season.
By most standards, Tiger Woods’ 68 at the AT&T would be considered solid. But he’s not particularly pleased, which is trouble for the field.
Rafa Nadal rips a "general campaign" in France to discredit Spanish athletes by implying their success is due to the use of illegal drugs.
Manchester City will find at least three highly motivated players in its way Sunday when it tries to improve upon its flagging away form in the Premier League at Aston Villa.
All that stuff about the Olympic ideal, how it's all about taking part, not winning, can often seem like so much hot air, rendered hopelessly quaint and outdated by the ultra-competitive and mercenary world of modern sport. Until, that is, you speak to Kieran Behan.
Nick Diaz’s hopes for a UFC interim championship rematch have gone up in smoke after the welterweight star flunked a drug test on the weekend of UFC 143.
AP
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Who knew that all this time Ohio used the regular season as a warm-up act?
The Bobcats’ time to shine is March.
The MAC tournament champion Bobcats, who had a losing record in conference play, have found their way in the only month that matters and now boast an NCAA tournament win for the first time in 27 years.
Georgetown might want to skip the tourney next time it’s in Providence.
Armon Bassett scored 32 points to lead the 14th-seeded Bobcats to a convincing 97-83 win over the Hoyas in the Midwest Regional.
How about a standing O for Ohio!
“We may not be a better team, just got to be a better team on a given night,” Bassett said.
In early March, no one expected Ohio (22-14) to be in this position. The team had just finished a 7-9 season in Mid-American Conference play and entered the conference tournament as the ninth seed.
Four wins later, Ohio was in the 65-team field.
Forty minutes later, the Bobcats are in the second round where they will play Tennessee, which earned a 62-59 win over San Diego State.
Coach John Groce wouldn’t call it the biggest win in team history.
“I certainly think it’s one of them,” he said. “What it does more than anything is, I think it gives tremendous belief with our guys in what we’re doing, in our system.”
Ohio seized the lead early on its 3-point shooting and never had a serious letdown the rest of the way. The Hoyas (23-11) made a small run in the second half that cut a 19-point lead down to seven.
No worries. D.J. Cooper, who scored 23 points, made a 3 to the delight of all those green-clad fans who made the trip and cheered them on the whole way. The Bobcats cruised from there and have won six straight games.
Ohio joined Murray State, which knocked off Vanderbilt 66-65 at the buzzer, as the two big upset winners Thursday.
“There were some times where the only people that really believed in what we were doing and where we were headed were the guys in our locker room and our administration,” Groce said.
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The Hoyas looked sensational in winning the first three games of the Big East tournament, before losing to West Virginia in the championship, and appeared to have positioned themselves as a legitimate Final Four threat.
It wasn’t to be.
“We really thought we could make some noise in this tournament,” Georgetown guard Austin Freeman said. “We really didn’t imagine we would be one-and-done.”
The Hoyas had a rough time in Providence back in 1989, too, when they narrowly beat No. 16 seed Princeton 50-49. At least they won in ’89.
This time the Hoyas were flustered and frustrated throughout. When Greg Monroe was on his back after being whistled for an offense foul, he pounded the court in disbelief and anger.
Monroe had 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Hollis Thompson scored 16 points.
Monroe, the 6-foot-11 center with NBA prospects, appeared to lean toward returning for his junior season.
“I’m ready to go back and see how I can help my team next year,” he said.
The Big East took a beating on Thursday with the Hoyas and sixth-seeded Marquette both losing. Notre Dame also lost to Old Dominion. Second-seeded Villanova needed overtime to eke past Robert Morris earlier in the day in Providence — the Big East’s headquarters.
Bassett, the MAC tournament MVP, made it look easy. After a 3-pointer made it 39-26, he just turned toward the crowd with a shrug and smiled.
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Ohio led by 12 at halftime and kept on rolling. Cooper picked Georgetown’s Jason Clark clean, sprinted toward the basket and tossed the ball backward high over his head where a streaking DeVaughn Washington slammed home the alley-oop in the play of the game.
The Bobcats have something to show for a turbulent season. They opened conference play with four straight losses, lost one player for the season with a broken hand and Washington was suspended five games for team violations. Groce even kicked a player off the team.
“I’m excited for our guys with everything they’ve been through,” Groce said.
Beyond the Arc: Racers no long sport an unbeaten record, but they're still capable of making an NCAA tournament run.
Robert Covington had 17 points and eight rebounds to lead Tennessee State to a 72-68 victory over No. 9 Murray State on Thursday night, handing the Racers their first loss of the season.
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Steve Prohm had never lost a game as a head coach. He doesn't think much of what his first loss will do for his sleeping habits.
Pau Gasol blocked Ray Allen's putback attempt at the buzzer in overtime and the Los Angeles Lakers held on to beat the Boston Celtics 88-87 on Thursday night.
Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
